Freight-car.



' J. M00. COLEMAN.

FREIGHT GAR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26; 1910.

Patented Nov. 15,1910.

Inventor.

Witnesses.

UNITED s'rnrns n'rnn FREIGHT-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 26, 1910.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

Serial No. 557,759.

7 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs MCCUTCHEON COLEMAN, resident of the town ofSt. Lambert, in the Province of Quebec, in the Dominion of Canada, acitizen of the United States of America, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Freight- Cars; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The invention relates to improvements in freight cars, as described inthe present specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawingsthat form part of the same.

The invention consists essentially in the novel construction andarrangement of parts, whereby the interior of the car is converted froma hopper car for bulk freight to a box car suitable for package freight,by forming the flooring in sections, a plurality of said sections beingadapted for the double use of flooring and chute bottoms or wallsseparate from and continuing from movable upper inclined ways.

The objects of the invention are to devise a form of freight carryingcar suitable for the purpose of transporting bulk freight from one partof a country and returning with package freight if desired, to increasethe efliciency of the discharging arrangement for the bulk freight andgenerally to simplify the means employed to effect the conversion andthereby produce a car of comparatively cheap construction and free fromcomplicated mechanism.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the car showing onehalf the length thereof in section. Fig. 2 is a crosssectional view onthe line AB in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional View of the car inperspective showing the car partially converted. Fig. 4 is a perspectivedetail of the supporting brackets and continuation shelf for theinclined ways. Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective detail of a bracket andportion of continuation shelf.

I Like numerals of reference indicate cor responding parts in eachfigure.

Referring to the drawings, 1 are the side walls of the car having theusual door openings 2. 3 are the end walls. 4 are permanent sections offlooring extending from each end wall 3 and terminating intermediate ofthe length of said car. 5 is the longitudinal central truss extendingfrom end to end of the car.

6 are inside chute walls extending downwardly and tapering upwardly frompoints adjacent to the center of the car to the said permanent sections4. 7 is a longitudinal cap suitably shaped and secured to the top of thewalls and closing in the central truss space at the top between the endsof said permanent sections.

8 are inwardly turned and upwardly curved flanges secured to the bottomof the walls 6 and forming the longitudinal recesses 9. 10 are theoutside walls of the chutes corresponding to said inside walls 6 andsuitably secured to the frame of the car. 11 are flanges inwardly turnedand upwardly curved and secured to the bottom of the walls 10 andforming the longitudinal recesses 12. 13 are inclined ways hinged to theends of the permanent sections 4 and adapted, in one state of said car,to fold down and rest on the said sections 4.

14 are brackets formed with the upper bar 15 and the curved legs 16 saidlegs having the transverse pivot orifices 17 therethrough. 18 areshelves, each of said shelves being supported by a plurality of brackets14 and secured on said bars or forming part therewith, leaving theportion 19 of each bracket exposed for supporting the inclined ways 13in their upper position, the shelves 18 being flush with said ways. 20are pivot rods securing the brackets 14 in the recesses 21 across theend walls 3 intermediate of the height of said walls. The weight of saidbrackets and shelves will keep them to their lower position, but onlifting the ways 13 from their lower position on the flooring sections4, the said ways 13 will swing said brackets upwardly, until the bars 15reach the under side of said ways, when the said brackets and shelveswill fall into position, the latter forming the top portions orcontinuations of the lnclined ways for the bulk freight. 22 are midsections of flooring hinged at the bottom of the side walls 1 andfolding inwardly to the central truss 5 and adapted to form half doorsin their raised positions. 23 are ledges extending inwardly from theside walls 1, between the mid sections 22 and end sections 4. 24 areintermediate floor sections hinged to-the end sections 4 and formingalso chute bottoms, said sections 24 having the downwardly turnedflanges 25 extending into the recesses 9 and 12 in the lower positionsof the sections 24. 26 are brackets pivotally secured to the side wallsof the chutes and adapted to swing inwardly on the raising of thesections 24: and

.connecting the opposite ends of said lever with opposite doors 27. Theshaft 28 is suitably operated but as this door opening and closingmechanism is not part of the present invention it will not be describedfurther.

In the operation of this car, the supporting brackets for theintermediate sections are swung inwardly, thus allowing the saidintermediate sections to drop into their lower positions and formbottoms in the chutes. The inclined ways are then raised above theirsupporting brackets and allowed to rest on the same, the shelves formingthe extensions to the end walls.

' In the event of the car being loaded with grain the car is loaded asusual, the mid sections forming the grain doors. The doors at thedischarge openings hold the grain in and immediately they are opened thegrain flows out freely and the whole cargo may bedischarged in a fewminutes.

To convert the car to one of the regular box car type, the hopperbottoms are raised becoming intermediate floor sections, the

half doors are folded in becoming mid floor sections, and the inclinedways are lowered onto the permanent end sections, thus completing a carfor package or other freight.

It must be understood that modifications may be made in the varioussections of flooring and their supports, also in the many cletails ofconstruction described herein, so

long as the main features pointed out in the following claims areadhered to.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a freight car, a centrallongitudinal truss, a plurality of inclined waysmovably arranged in theinterior of the car and at one end adapted to be supported from the endwalls of the car-and terminating at the other end at the entrance tochute open ings and there rigidly held, a plurality of chute side wallsbeneath the flooring level on each side of said truss, and a pluralityof flooring sections hinged at the chute openings and adapted to belowered between said chute walls and form continuation pieces of saidinclined ways and separate therefrom and with said chute side wallscomplete the chutes leading to suitable discharge openings.

2. In a freight car, a central longitudinal truss, a car body havinginner and outer chute walls below the flooring level, inclined wayshinged at the entrances to chute openings extending upwardly andsuitably supported from the end walls of the car, intermediate fioorsections hinged at the entrances to said chute openings and adapted tobe lowered between said chute walls and form bottoms to said chutes andcontinuation pieces from said inclined ways and separate therefrom andmid sections to said flooring folding inwardly from the sides and intheir upper position adapted to form half doors, and doors closing theopenings at the lower ends of said chutes.

3. In a freight car, a body having side and end walls, a roof, flooringin sections and a plurality of tapering chute walls be neath theflooring level, said flooring sections comprising permanent sections atthe ends thereof, mid sections folding inwardly from the sides andmovable intermediate sections adapted in one position to cover in thechute openings in trap door style at the lower end of said chute wallsand in the other position to form chute bottoms, and movable inclinedways supported from the end walls of the car at one end and at the otherend supported at the entrances to the chute openings substantially flushwith said intermediate sections in their lower positions and separatetherefrom.

4. In a freight car, a car body having side and end walls, flooring insections and a plurality of tapering chute walls beneath the flooringlevel having inturned and upwardly curved flanges at the lower ends,said flooring sections comprising permanent end sections, movable midsections, movable intermediate sections having longitudinal downwardlyturned flanges and extending from said end sections to said mid sectionsadapted in their lower position to form chute bottoms, and movableinclined ways extending from the ends of the cars to said chute bottoms.

5. In a freight car, a car body having side and end walls, flooring insections and a plurality of tapering chute walls having longitudinalflanges at their lower ends, said flooring having movable longitudinalsections adapted to form in their lower position chute bottoms, inclinedways extending upwardly toward the end walls from said chute bottoms andadapted to be lowered level with the said longitudinal sectionsin theirupper position and extension pieces secured to the end walls meetingsaid inclined ways.

6. In a freight car, a car body having side and end walls, flooring insections and a plurality of tapering chute walls, said flooring havingmovable longitudinal sections adapted to cover in the chute openings intrap door style and to be lowered between said chute walls and supportedat the lower sides thereof and form bottoms to the chutes, in-

clined ways at one end adjacent to said end walls and at the other endsupported substantially flush with said longitudinal sections in theirpositions as chute bottoms and separate therefrom, brackets pivotallysecured in said walls and supporting said ways and shelves supported bysaid brackets and meeting said ways.

7 In a freight car, a car body having side and end walls, flooring inmovable and fixed sections and chutes beneath the level of saidflooring, inclined ways extending from said chutes toward the end walls,brackets suitably recessed in said end walls and pivoted and havingupper bars adapted to support said ways in their outer position andshelves rigid with said top bars and extending rearwardly therefrom.

8. In a freight car, a central longitudinal truss, side walls havingsuitable door openings, end walls recessed transversely intermediate oftheir height, flooring in fixed and movable sections, inside and outsidechute walls arranged on each side of said central truss, bracketspivoted in said chute Walls and adapted to support movable sections ofsaid floor in their upper position, inclined ways extending from theupper ends of said chutes toward the end walls, brackets secured in therecess in said end walls, and shelves supported on said brackets andadapted to meet said ways.

Signed at the city and district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, this 22ndday of April.

JAMES MOCUTCHEON COLEMAN.

Witnesses:

HARRY DAVIS, P. SHEE.

